Cookbooks

Free of refined sugar, these muffins are sweetened naturally with dates, and get a protein boost from both chia seeds and almond flour.

An alternative to working with lye is to dip pretzels in a simmering baked baking soda solution, which will give you a result that is close to the dark, burnished crust that lye imparts. If you prefer to avoid working with lye, or just don’t have time to source it, use this method.

This is the quintessential fall cupcake. Prepare the apple cider just as if you were going to drink it, boiled with plenty of whole cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

Larry the Turkey does double duty at Thanksgiving, letting Larry know where to sit at the beginning of the meal and providing a dessert for him at the end. A delicious combination of pumpkin cupcakes, caramel frosting, and ginger cookies, this turkey will be gobbled up in no time. Of course, the best part is naming each turkey and hearing the kids scream, “Hey, look, everybody, Uncle Larry’s a turkey!”

One trip to the cupcake pumpkin patch, and this project will become a favorite fall tradition. It's a terrific dessert centerpiece for any gathering from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The pumpkin patch boasts both standard and mini cupcakes, and each one is a little different—just like a real pumpkin patch—so you can pick and choose your favorite.

Turn these fall-spiced cupcakes into a Pumpkin Patch–themed holiday centerpiece for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

My daughter and I love mac and cheese. It’s a great side dish with dinner and a great lunch served with a crisp salad!

We eat this salad—which is a great way to stretch a piece of beef—all year long for lunch and dinner, but it's particularly good during the warmer months. The thinly sliced meat, the crunch of the cucumbers and red onions, and the heady aroma of mint and cilantro tossed with the chile-spiked salty-sweet dressing seem made for hot days and nights.

Picture your favorite Tex-Mex cheese dip and the ultimate mac 'n' cheese. Now picture them together.

There's something about the pairing of chicken and rice that is so appealing and comforting, and these paella-like dishes are definitely perennial crowd-pleasers.

The chicken, sauce, and pasta for this dish all cook in the same pan. You can add broccoli, mushrooms, herbs, or a little chipotle at the same time that you stir in the Parmesan.

You can use any kind of nuts for this recipe—almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts are all delicious.

Onigiri is a quintessential Japanese food: made by moms for breakfast, lunch boxes, and picnics. It is the ideal handheld food (the nori wrapper keeps the sticky rice from getting all over your hand).

Yes, you read that correctly! You will have this comforting cookie in just 2 minutes. Like any cookie, it will harden as it cools, however, if you want a warm, soft-centre cookie eat it immediately. Or feel free to wait 5 minutes until the edges crisp a little. I think it’s incredible served with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

For fall gatherings—everything from back-to-school to Thanksgiving—this colorful wreath makes an elegant centerpiece. The leaves are created by painting melted candy wafers on maple leaves, letting it harden, then peeling off the leaf to reveal a stunning edible replica.

This crab rangoon recipe from Jet Tila’s 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die offers a simple method for making the crispy, creamy snack at home. You can freeze them for up to two weeks and then fry directly from frozen—a good trick to use if you're hosting a cocktail party and want to prep in advance.

This condiment, called nam pla prik, is found on virtually every home and restaurant table in Thailand.